Clipboard



y 9 J. F. FLEMING 2,943,372

CLIPBOARD Filed June 13, 1957 l5 v t I INVENTOR. JACK FAIRCHILD FLEMING BY emu ms zajiflam IFnuEa n 3 y ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent CLIPBOARD Jack Fairchild Fleming, Summit, N.J., assignor to Sterling Plastics Co., Union, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed June 13, 1957, Ser. No. 665,514

2 Claims. or. 24-66) This invention relates to clipboards, and particularly to a clipboard of the bulldog type, in which the clip member is pivoted intermediate its forward and rearward ends so that the forward portion is lifted when the rearward portion is depressed.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a new and improved clipboard which has few parts and is economical to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clipboard which is preferable in many cases to the clipboards heretofore used because of its ease of assembly and its trouble-free operation.

Still another objectof the invention is to provide a clipboard constructed by the mere assembly of a small number of cooperating parts, each of which, with the exception of a spring, is an integrally molded piece of a thermoplastic resin, such as a suitable polystyrene or polyethylene resin.

The clipboard provided according to 'this invention includes a body having a surface to receive sheet material and a member extending upwardly from said body and forming a bearing spaced above and facing toward said surface. A clip member is provided which has a backward portion to receive pressure, a forward portion to bear against the surface, and an axle between these portions. The axle is received and turnable in the bearing. Resilient means are compressed between the backward portion and the body to urge the axle upwardly against the bearing and bias the forward portion towards the surface, so that clip member is turnable on the axle to lift the forward portion away from the board surface by applying to the backward portion a pressure overcoming the force of the resilient means. And a retaining member is disposed between the axle and the body in a manner to prevent the removal of the axle from the hearing by the pressure applied to the clip members.

According to a further feature of the invention, each part of the device, except the resilient means, is made as a single molded piece of a suitable resin, such as a polystyrene or polyethylene resin.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages hereof will become apparent from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment, while the new features of construction and operation which I claim as my invention will be set forth more particularly in the appended claims. The detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which:

Fig. Us a top plan view of the clipboard of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the clamping assembly; and

Fig. 4 is a side view in cross-section taken along the line 44 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

As appears from the drawings, the clipboard of the invention has a body or board 10 having a substantially fiat sheet material receiving surface 11. Formed 'ice integrally with said body is an upwardly extending member 12 having downwardly curved extensions 13. Mem

ber 12 and extensions 13 form a bearing 14 spaced above and facing surface 11. On either side of member 12, and

formed as integral parts of said member and body 10,

are tabs 15. If desired, the portion 16 of body below bearing 14 may be omitted so as to conserve material. A groove 17 spaced forwardly of member 12 may also be formed in body 10. In order to further conserve mate- 10 rial without impairing therigidity of body 10, the body may be constructed as a thin sheet of a suitable resin with intersecting, downwardly extending ribs 18. The body may also have an integral extension 19, with a hole 20 therein, on its backward edge, so that the clipboard may be hung upon a retainer extending from a vertical surface, such as a wall.

A clip member 21 is provided having a backward portion 22, which may be suitably grooved to facilitate the application of pressure thereto, a pair of spaced legs 23 forming a forward portion which engages the surface 11,

and an axle 24 formed integrally with, and extending between legs 23. Axle 24 is spaced from the forward edge of portion22 so that extensions 13 will be between said forward edge and the axle, as best seen in Fig.4. In

25 a preferred form, downwardly extending flanges 25 integral with the forward edge of legs 23 cooperate with groove 17 to firmly gripthe sheetmaterial therebetween. In order to increase the strength of backward portion 22 and to provide a limit to the upward movement of legs 0 23, a rib 26 may be formed integrally with, and on the 27 relative to the other parts of the clipboard, said spring is compressed between the backward portion 22 and surface 11 of body 10, thereby urging axle 24 upwardly against bearing 14 and biasing legs 25 towards surface 11. The clip member is turnable on axle 24 to lift legs 25 away from surface 11 by applying pressure on backward portion 22 sufficient to overcome the force of spring 27.

In order to prevent the axle from becoming accidentally dislodged from hearing 14 when downward pressure is applied to backward portion 22, a U-shaped locking member 28 is provided. Legs 29 of the locking member have notches 30 in their inner surfaces engageable with tabs 15 to hold the locking member in place. The thickness of the locking member is such that it will not permit axle 24 to go below the extensions 13 thereby preventing its accidental dislodgment from bearing 14. As best seen in Fig. 4, the portion of locking member 28 connecting legs 29 preferably overlies a portion of spring 27 in order to facilitate the assembly and disassembly of the device.

According to a further feature of the invention, the body, .the clip member and the locking member are each formed by filling a mold cavity with a suitable resin, such as polystyrene or polyethylene, while the resin is in a molten state and then cooling the molded resin. The mold cavities are shaped so that each molded piece is formed integrally with all its structural elements which cooperate with other parts of .the clipboard. Thus body 10 is formed integrally with member 12 and extensions 13, tabs 15, opening 16, groove 17, ribs 18 and extensions 19; clip member .21 is formed with integrally molded legs 23, axle 24, flanges 25 and rib 26; and locking mem- "Patented July 5 1960' ber 28 is formed integrally with legs 29 and notches 30. The clipboard of the invention is readily assembled by positioning the spring about the axle and against the facing surfaces of body 10 and rearward portion 22, pressing the clip member downwardly and forwardly so that the axle underlies bearing 14, and then pushing locking member 28 forwardly with legs 29 leading, until notches 30 engage tabs 15. This manner of assembly is economical and can be accomplished with a minimum number of operations.

It will be evident that the invention provides a clipboard'whi'ch is inexpensive, easily operated-and extremely durable.

I claim:

1. In a device forholding sheet material, a body having a surface to receive such material, a member-extending-upwardly from said body and forming a bearing spaced above andfacing toward said surface, tabs extending outwardly from each of the sides of said upwardly extending member and upwardly from said surface, a clip member having a backward portion to receive pressure, a forward portion .to bear .against said surface and an axle between said portions, said axle being received and turnable in said bearing, resilient means compressed between said backward portionand said body to urge said axle upwardly against said bearing and bias said forward portion towards said surface, said clip member being turnable on said axle to lift said forward portion away from-said surface by applying to said backward portion a pressure overcoming the force of said resilient means, and a U-shaped member having forwardly extending legs with notches in the inner surface 4 of each of said legs engaged with said'tabs, said member being mounted between said axle and said body to prevent removal of said axle from said bearing by such pressure.

2. In a device for holding sheet material, a body having a surface to receive such material, a member extending upwardly from said body and forming a bearing spaced above and facing toward said surface, a clip member having a backward portion to receive pressure, a forward portion to bear against said surface and an axle between said portions, said axle :being received and turnable in said bearing, resilient-means compressed between said backward portion and said body to urge said axle upwardly against said bearing and bias said forward portion towards saidsurface, said clip member being turnable on said axle to lift said forward portion away from said surface by applying to said backward portion a pressure overcoming the force of said resilient means, said bearing being spaced from-said body by a distance sufiicient for assembly of said-clip member and said resilient means .bythe application-of. pressure tothe clip member and movement of said axle between said bearing and said body, and a locking member removably fitted beneath said axle inthe' space between said'axle and said body to preventremoval of said axle from said bearing by such pressure.

References Cited in the file of'this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

